We are pleased to announce that our project at Biddestone has reached practical completion! Our clients are now moving into their new home, featuring ashlar and zinc extensions.

From Designscape, especially Chris and Lauren, we thank our clients for the lovely flowers and champagne. We hope the move is going smoothly and that you enjoy your new home! Click here for a link to the project page

Ty Bach Cottage receives full planning permission.
The proposal for this project is an extension to an existing cottage in
Llansoy, Wales. The brief for the extension was for a studio space that could
be used as part of the house or as an independent holiday let.

The concept of the extension takes inspiration
from the nearby agricultural corrugated metal barns. The design sees the
traditional form of the barn but with a clean-cut contemporary finish. Black
vertical corrugated metal contrasts and compliments the rubble stone of the
cottage. The height and proportions of the two-storey extension relate to the
existing cottage. Windows and doors make slots out of the form to frame views
from different internal positions and heights facing the garden and landscape.
The mezzanine bedroom and living room are on the open West side of the building
facing the garden while the bathroom, utility and WC are on the East side. The single-storey
link between the old and the new uses horizontal cladding to act as an
extrusion from the extension, allowing access between the two.

Planning consent has been granted for our design of this new building in Limpley Stoke. This proposal is for a replacement of a
1960s house on the North facing slope of the Limpley Stoke Valley to the South
of Bath. The existing house was constructed very close to the edge of a
very steep drop, and has suffered structural failure due to unstable ground
conditions.

The proposed replacement has to be located
further back from the edge of the site, but, not wishing to lose the
spectacular views out over the valley the upper storey is cantilevered out from
the ground floor structure, reaching out towards the view and the light.
As a North facing site, careful consideration was given to the orientation and
location of the building on the site, enabling sunlight to penetrate every room
of the plan, and also to reach different parts of the garden at different times
of day.

The cantilevered upper storey had to be a
lightweight structure, and is proposed as a steel frame clad in a lightweight
flat aluminium panel. The fuzzy polish on the panels will softly reflect the
surrounding context and will to some extent de-materialise the building, so
that the edges are almost lost in the sky.

Planning and Listed Building consent has been granted for the renovation of this Grade II* listed building in Walcot Street, Bath. The original building fronting onto Walcot Street is a late Georgian pair of Merchant’s Houses ( Circa 1800) , which have a very distinctive concave shopfront – a small landmark in the street. In the late 1980s the ground floor and basement had been converted into a single retail unit, along with a rear extension (an early Feilden Clegg design), and the upper floors had been converted into two maisonettes and a flat.

The approved scheme will return the
original building back into two three storey maisonettes with a small retail
unit facing the street at ground floor level. At the back the 1989 extension is
to be replaced with two small townhouses. These will be compact and
quirky, working with the very tight constraints imposed by the site including
incorporating an existing vault into one of the houses, and a lack of legal
access to any external spaces.

The design makes the most of opportunities to
include balconies at the rear facing East over the Avon valley, with living
spaces making positive connections with the daylight and views afforded by the
site location. Walcot Street was always a working commercial street, with
the back yards full of workshops, stables, abattoirs and even a women’s prison.
The architectural language picks up on the masonry of the surrounding
buildings, and uses a zinc roof with a curved ridge in reference to the “back
yard” location.

Planning and Listed Building consent have
been approved for this extension to a Grade II Listed house. The original
building had previously been subdivided into four units, and this proposal is
for an extension built in the garden alongside the 1920s Billiards room part of
the original house. The design comprises two single storey high quality ashlar
stone pavilions, linked together by a glass fronted “patio” space, forming an
open plan and brightly day-lit living space. The rhythm and proportions of the
stone pillars respond to the adjacent stone pillared balcony which now forms
part of the neighbour’s property, but which was originally a part of the same
house.

The design resolves some legacy problems form
the earlier subdivision works, and provides a new entrance legible to visitors,
and improved privacy for the adjacent neighbours.

For our 2016 office study trip to Copenhagen, Spencer produced a short video which condenses and hopefully captures the spirit of our visit. The purpose of the annual Designscape trip is to re-charge our design batteries by visiting new buildings and unfamiliar cities, consider different building technologies and typologies, public realm and ways of moving through the city.The historic core and port of Copenhagen has been through a period of redevelopment and considerable expansion. Distinctly new buildings complement their historic neighbours. Disused industrial buildings have been re-purposed for new uses. A boom in the construction of apartment buildings is extending the city in quite a different way to the UK model. Ubiquitous cycle paths and a new swing bridge make travel by bike an attractive reality.

This proposal is for the replacement of an
undistinguished 1930s house in a very special site, perched on the brow of a
steep wooded ridge overlooking the City Bath. The existing house peers
southwards through a veil of mature trees, over the city and on to the opposite
side of the Avon Valley. The house appears as a small dormer bungalow on the
north (public) side at the end of Richmond Green, but becomes a three storey
house from the South side due to the very steeply sloping site. As
a standalone building on the South side of the street, the site is more
woodland than street, and the language of the house seeks to respond to that
woodland edge situation.

The proposed house seeks to take full advantage
of the remarkable site. It will occupy the same footprint of the existing
house, cantilevering the bottom floor out on a pair of steel piloti.
The roof of the bottom floor forms a generous balcony for the main living floor
above, and the top floor in turn sails out over that, providing some shade
and protection to the glazed elevation.

The forms are a series of interlocking
rectangles, rotating away from the base to make a dynamic composition which
celebrates the potential of the site. The materials respond to the street on
one side – ashlar Bath Stone on a bath stone rubble base – and to the woodland
on the other side, with dark fibre cement boards overclad with vertical timber
battens, taking on the verticality and materiality of the surrounding trees.

Alterations started in May 2017. Wraxall Builders
Ltd are making great progress; the extensions to the Victorian Schoolhouse are
starting to take shape and the steel is almost fully erected.Click here for the project page

We have recently submitted a planning
application for a replacement dwelling in the Greenbelt. The site is in a
unique and beautiful setting with two very significant characteristics: It is
essentially an island surrounded by water on 3 sides and it is in a flood risk
area, currently the site is accessed by a brick bridge.

The proposed layout has a focal point at the Oak
tree close to the site entrance. This oak tree has a very important presence on
the setting, and is much older than the houses on the site. The house then
sweeps around the tree, using a radial grid with its centre point being
notionally the centre of the oak’s trunk. Internally, the house is divided by
private and more public areas. This division is expressed on the design by
separating the volumes related to each areas. Due to the flood risk the house
will be raised 800mm from the ground and suspended between masonry walls which
come all the way down to the ground. Two main materials are being proposed: Red
local limestone for the masonry walls and zinc cladding for the suspended
walls.Click here for the project page

In August Designscape completed a new office and
production facility for Exactaform Ltd, a precision tools manufacturer based in
Coventry. The practice were involved throughout the project, from early concept
to completion, working closely with Greswolde Construction Ltd and WIA
interiors to deliver a high quality facility that will allow for the expansion
of the company. Final fit-out works are ongoing and finished photographs will
be available soon.

The
proposal for the demolition of a single dwelling, and replacing it with a 6
apartment residential building, has been submitted recently for planning
approval. Located on the corner of 2 busy streets in Weymouth, the new building
aims to provide parking and accommodation for 6 two-bedroom dwellings. Each one
benefiting from outdoor spaces, storage areas and allocated parking. Issues
such as views, privacy and orientation were considered and addressed by
creating terraces and stepping the floors towards the main street. In terms of
materials, brick and zinc were the thought to best represent the character of
the area. A combination between pitched and flat roofs were proposed to respond
to the immediate context. Click here for the project page

Designscape
is proud to welcome James House and Livia Kilmaj as the newest additions to the team. James graduated from the University West of England, Bristol in July 2017 and was awarded First Class Honours in BSc Architecture. During his third and final year, James was nominated for the RIBA Bronze Medal.

Livia qualified as an Architect at Budapest University of Technology and Economics and spent one term on her final project as an Erasmus student at Universidad de Sevilla. She completed her postgraduate studies at Budapest UTE Dep. of Urbanism and the Hungarian Architects’ Association’s Master Course with work experience at Foldes & Petho Architects and MCXVI Architects in Budapest.Click here to view their full profiles

We’ve recently submitted planning
application for a rear single storey extension to a Listed Building in
Melksham. The building now known as “Paddock View” was formerly part of
Bowerhill Lodge Farm, and later on converted into 4 individual dwellings.

The main design
concept of the proposal is the idea of two masonry blocks joined by a higher
glazed link. These blocks follow a rhythm of pillars and recessed stone or
glazed panels.

A green roof is proposed for the masonry blocks,
with the ashlar stone continuing all the way to the parapet level.

Following
three pre-applications with the local authority, establishing a measured
approach to the replacement of the existing house and outbuildings onsite, we
submitted a planning application for a replacement dwelling within the
greenbelt. The application for a new 6 bedroom family home responds
sympathetically to the village setting using traditional materials and
referencing the character of the conservation area, while taking advantage of
the wider landscape by opening up towards the private South West views. Click here for the project page

Our project at Biddestone has now commenced on
site. The Victorian Schoolhouse was previously converted to residential by a
former owner.
Our design re-imagines the spaces within the house and with two new extensions
provides more appropriate living accommodation for our client.

We
were pleased to be shortlisted for the GAGA awards this year for our car port,
as part of the second phase works at Hardy House. The Galvanizers Association
have been recognising innovative use of galvanised steel by architects,
engineers & the construction industry for over 20 years.Click here for the project page

Here's a fly-through of the Equestrian House we designed back in 2016. The brief included a family house along with equestrian facilities suitable for either professional use or for a family with horses.Click here for the project page

Lots of great progress on site in Coventry, we’ve received an updated time-lapse video from the main contractor. The video shows the progression on site since January, click here to link to the video.Click here for the project page

Following a really positive community consultation we are excited to share an image of our recently submitted planning application for a new Resource Recovery Park
near Swindon. Showcasing an innovative approach to creating energy from waste
and drastically reducing landfill on the site, the masterplan and proposed
buildings rethink the routine approach to “agricultural sheds”.

Focusing on
employee safety and welfare the waste processing building is designed to
provide high levels of light, improved air quality and clear wayfinding. The
translucent façade sheltering beyond a newly formed planted earth bund, hints
at the functional processes inside, while celebrating the positive vision of
the future our clients have for the wider site. We worked with structural engineer's to optimize the design of the timber frame, resulting in an equally beautiful and efficient piece of structure.

Our latest practice portfolio is updated, published and packed full of a selection of our favourite projects. In fact there were so many projects we wanted to share this time we've had to upload the book in 3 parts!

With the great
optimism and positive vibe that defines our practice, Designscape Architects prepared
on 24th July to celebrate the victory of the vote to remain within
the EU… and what better way to celebrate it than organising an EU inspired
summer party and BBQ! Each member of our team had to pick a country from the
European Union, prepare a typical dish from the chosen country and don the
appropriate outfits.

On the morning of
the 24th of June, Designscape (and the rest of the UK) woke up to
the sad news that the UK would be leaving the EU. But did we let that bring our
party down? No we didn’t! our exciting gathering was quickly and subtly
rebranded as the Designscape official EU leaving party!

The Designscape team
dressed up, dusted off the cookbooks and went all out for a night designed to
wreck the boss’s house!

Netherlands,
represented by Chris and Karen, could be seen from a distance of 5 miles away
and even Kim (the dog) got involved…perhaps not willingly.

Spencer and
Caroline, former members of ABBA, flew from Sweden especially for our party,
and we were surprised to notice their heads had grown considerably.

Spain (a.k.a
Lucy) came accompanied by the Italian mafia (Rob). Spain brought a delicious
paella whilst Italy brought a very colourful jacket, a gold chain and slick
hairdo. He left the pizza in at home in the freezer.

Ukraine was
present too, represented by Rosie and Sam! The moment in which Rosie found out
that the clothes Sam was wearing were actually hers was caught on camera,
explaining why Rosie was about to throw a rock on Sam’s head. Lesson learnt: do
not to mess with pseudo Ukrainian women! (but we do commend Sam’s commitment to
fancy dress).

Malta, represented
by James, was sweeping the floor when Cyprus, also known as Andreas (who
happens to be from Cyprus), came to give him a plate… that didn’t make sense to
us either… but Malta was very happy about it!

Linda Wildy and
family came representing the Independent Democratic Republic of Linda Wildy…
where it is a tradition to carry their namesake horizontally.

Denmark (Carol)
made a contribution to the party with a delicious gluten free chocolate cake as
well as vodka jelly shots. Italy was a big fan of Denmark. (Or maybe of the
jelly shots?)

By far the best
dressed for the party were Zeus and Hera. Representing Greece. Ollie and
Adriana also made the best tzatziki of all times, which they will never do ever
again… who knew drying shredded cucumber would take so many hours!

The highlight of
the party was the surprise nationality test that Adriana prepared for her
fellow British co-workers. The questions for this test were taken from genuine
‘life in the UK’ test that non-EU migrants have to take to qualify for British
nationality. Results will not be shared for fear of reprimand by the UK border
agency. However, an idea of how it went can be seen from the pleased smile on
Adriana’s face.

And Spencer’s
face!

Our (now annual)
summer party is a great way for the office to forget, at least for a day, about
Vectorworks software crashing or sketch-up not letting you make a window in the
living room. It is also a great way for us and our families getting together,
to know each other better and to stay united (even though the EU is not).